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Generating a user-mode process dump in Windows

To help Avast Support diagnose performance or compatibility issues with Avast Antivirus on Windows, you may be asked to provide a user-mode process dump file from your PC. You can generate this dump file manually without a PC crash.

For information about other types of memory dumps that Avast Support may request, refer to the following articles:

Windows XP includes an error debugger called Dr. Watson which gathers information about your system when an error occurs with a program or service. The program creates a text file Drwtsn32.log and enables you to create a dump file.

To install Dr. Watson as your default debugger, follow these steps:

From the Start menu, select All Programs or the Programs sub-menu ▸ Accessories, then click Command Prompt.

In the Command Prompt window, type drwtsn32 -i and press the Enter key.

Click OK when you receive a message confirming that Dr. Watson is your default debugger.
When you receive an application error message, Dr. Watson automatically creates a text file Drwtsn32.log and dump file user.dmp in the following default location:

Once you create the dump file, send it to Avast Support. You can do so via a support ticket if the dump file is 5 MB or less. For information on how to submit a ticket to Avast Support, read the following article: